Trench-shovel.



No. 840,862. PATENTED JAN. 8, 1907. E. 'J. NELSON.

. TRENCH SHOVEL.

APPLICATION FILED AUG 8 1906 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 8, 1907.

Application filed August 8. 1906. Serial No. 329,669.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERrK JOHN NELSON, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Trench-Shovels, of which the following is a specification. gg Myinvention relates to improvements in implements for trimming thegrass-plot and cutting a small trench between the grass-plot and theedge of a stone sidewalk bordering upon the same; and the objects of myimprovements are, first, to provide an implement for cutting a margin ofthe lawn along the edge of the sidewalk where itfringes over upon thesame, and, second, to provide means for taking up that portion of thesod so cut away, in this manner forming a narrow channel between thelawn and the sidewalk and freeing the sidewalk from that portion of theearth removed and the grass projecting over the margin of the walk. Iattain these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fi 'ure 1 is a perspective view looking oblique y atthe implement as in operation and from that side which lies toward thelawn.

- Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail showing the implement in side elevationas looked at from the opposite side of that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is adetail showing an enlarged view in plan or top view. Fig. 4 is a detailshowing a cross-section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3, including a fragment ofthe sidewalk and adjacent lawn.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates the pole or handle foroperating the tool. The end of the handle is provided with a roller 2,journaled in metal straps 2*, attached to the end of the handle-bar,whereby the roller is adapted to travel along on the sidewalk 3.

The trench-shovel 4 comprises a wedgeshaped box-like structure which isopen at the top and which is made of sheet metal. On one side it isprovided with an eyepiece 4 which is adapted to fit over and be boltedto the handle 1 in such manner as to firmly attach such shovel to thehandle, so that the bottom edge or wedge-shaped side of the front endshall project below the roller and down below the upper surface of thesidewalk, having one side 4 adapted to pass in between the sidewalk andthe adjacent lawn 3 and the other side 4 and the extreme lower part 4provided with a cutting edge, which is adapted to cut a strip of the sodalong the edge of the sidewalk about one inch and a half wide, more orless, forming a groove 3*.

The rear end 5 of the shovel is closed 11 so that the margin of the sodcut away s ides back as the tool is pushed along on the sidewalk untilthe shovel-box is filled more or less with the accumulation, and whenfull it is dumped into a wheelbarrow, which the operator is presumed tohave along for that purpose. 7

By the use of this implement the fringing edge of the lawn upon thesidewalk can be removed with greater facility and much greater known tome for the purpose.

I do not claim the article as comprising a carriage and a V-shapedtrimming-blade connected thereto and provided with a discharge-chute atthe rear end thereof and projected to one side, the carriage beingsupported at the front and rear upon rollers and iaving a handlepivotally connected to the carriage at the center thereof, whereby asthe device is pushed forward the earth and grass removed will be fedalong through the V-shaped trimmer-blade and discharged at the rear end,the discharge taking place along in a row upon the walk or path andbeing afterward collected. M y invention is distinguished from this byhaving a roller attached at the end of the handle-bar and a lightbox-like structure closed at the rear and provided with a V-shaoedcutting edge at the front and rigidly attached to the handle. so thatwhen pushed forward the earth and grass removed will be collected in thebox until the box is full, when it can be lifted by the handle andvemptied. into a wheelbarrow or other receptacle after the manner ofworking with an ordinary hand-shovel.

Having thus described my invention and the manner of using the same, Iclaim In a tool of the class described, the combination with ahandle-bar provided with a roller at one end, of a light box-likestructure closed at the rear end and mounted rigidly upon the handle-barand having a narrow open front end provided with a V-shaped. cuttingedge projecting below and to one side of the roller, as and for thepurpose specifled.

ERIK JOHN NELSON. Vitnesses:

ANNIE M. AnAMs, RAY. ELIASSOF.

rapidity than by the use of any other means Ice

